Top and tail system for leafy vegetables

ABSTRACT

A leafy vegetable having a core end and a leafy end is processed after being harvested. The harvested leafy vegetable is transported to a trim area on a conveyor. A first cutting implement located in the trim area trims a portion of the core end. A second cutting implement located in the trim area trims a portion of the leafy end. The first and second cutting implements are spaced a set distance apart, which defines an amount of the leafy vegetable remaining after the portions of the core and leafy ends are trimmed. As the portions of the core and leafy ends of the leafy vegetable are being trimmed by the first and second cutting implements, a set of one or more nozzles located in the trim area sprays a rinsing liquid on cut sites on the leafy vegetable to rinse off natural juices exuding from the cut sites.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/139,464, entitled TOP AND TAIL SYSTEM FOR LEAFY VEGETABLES,filed on May 26, 2005, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,275, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present application relates to processing of leafy vegetables, and,more particularly, to a top and tail system used to process harvestedleafy vegetables.

2. Related Art

In commercial harvesting and processing of leafy vegetables (e.g., headsof Romaine lettuce), leafy vegetables are typically field harvested andtransported to a processing plant to be processed for market. In theprocessing plant, portions of the leafy ends and core ends, which arealso referred to as tops and tails, of the leafy vegetables are manuallytrimmed in trim lines. Alternatively, portions of the leafy ends andcored ends are manually trimmed in the field before the leafy vegetablesare transported to the processing plant for further processing. In bothcases, the leafy vegetables tend to discolor/pink due, in part, to thenatural juices that exude from cut sites.

SUMMARY

In one exemplary embodiment, a leafy vegetable having a core end and aleafy end is processed after being harvested. The harvested leafyvegetable is transported to a trim area on a conveyor. A first cuttingimplement located in the trim area trims a portion of the core end. Asecond cutting implement located in the trim area trims a portion of theleafy end. The portion of the core end and the portion of the leafy endcan be trimmed concurrently or at different time intervals. The firstand second cutting implements are adjustable and can be spaced at apre-selected gap setting to define an amount of the leafy vegetableremaining after the portions of the core and leafy ends are trimmed. Asthe portions of the core and leafy ends of the leafy vegetable are beingtrimmed by the first and second cutting implements, a set of one or morenozzles located in the trim area sprays a rinsing liquid on cut sites onthe leafy vegetable to rinse off natural juices exuding from the cutsites. The rising liquid can also be sprayed on the first and secondcutting implements to rinse off any exudates build up on the first andsecond cutting implements.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES

The present application can be best understood by reference to thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingfigures, in which like parts may be referred to by like numerals:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of an exemplary top and tail system;

FIG. 2 depicts a head of Romaine lettuce before being processing and ahead of Romaine lettuce after being processed using the exemplary topand tail system depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a portion of an exemplary top and tail system;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary top and tail system;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the exemplary top and tail system depicted inFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the exemplary top and tailsystem depicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the exemplary top and tail systemdepicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is another schematic of an exemplary top and tail system attachedto a tractor;

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a top and tail system integrated into aprocessing plant; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic of exemplary cutting implements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description sets forth numerous specific configurations,parameters, and the like. It should be recognized, however, that suchdescription is not intended as a limitation on the scope of the presentinvention, but is instead provided as a description of exemplaryembodiments.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary top and tail system 100 isdepicted. Top and tail system 100 is used to process a leafy vegetable,which has a core end and a leafy end, after the leafy vegetable isharvested. As will be described in more detail below, top and tailsystem 100 trims a portion of the core end and a portion of the leafyend of the leafy vegetable, and spray rinses off natural juices exudingfrom the cut sites.

For example, with reference to FIG. 2, top and tail system 100 (FIG. 1)can be used to process a head of Romaine lettuce 202, which has a coreend 204 and a leafy end 206. FIG. 2 depicts head of Romaine lettuce 202before being processed in top and tail system 100 (FIG. 1). FIG. 2 alsodepicts a head of Romaine lettuce 203 after a portion of core end 204and a portion of leafy end 206 have been trimmed by top and tail system100 (FIG. 1). It should be recognized, however, that top and tail system100 (FIG. 1) can be used to process any leafy vegetable having a coreend and a leafy end.

With reference again to FIG. 1, in one exemplary embodiment, top andtail system 100 includes a load area 102, a trim area 104, and apost-trim area 106. In the present exemplary embodiment, a firstconveyor 108 transports a leafy vegetable to be processed from load area102 to trim area 104 and then to post-trim area 106. As will bedescribed in more detail below, a roller 120 can be used to hold theleafy vegetable while it is trimmed at trim area 104. Additionally, asecond conveyor 122 can be used to guide, hold, and orient the leafyvegetable for trimming at trim area 104.

In trim area 104, a first cutting implement 110 trims a portion of thecore end of the leafy vegetable. A second cutting implement 112 trims aportion of the leafy end of the leafy vegetable. As depicted in FIG. 1,first and second cutting implements 110, 112 are adjustable, and can bespaced at a pre-set gap or distance 118 apart from each other. Distance118, which is adjustable, defines an amount of the leafy vegetableremaining after the portions of the core and leafy ends are trimmed.Distance 118 can be adjusted depending on the size of the leafyvegetable and the amount to be trimmed.

As the portions of the core and leafy ends are being trimmed by thefirst and second cutting implements 110, 112, a set of one or morenozzles 114 located in trim area 104 sprays a rinsing liquid on cutsites on the leafy vegetable to rinse off natural juices exuding fromthe cut sites. By rinsing off the natural juices exuding from the cutsites as the portions of the core and leafy ends are being trimmed, theamount of discoloration/pinking can be reduced. Set of one or morenozzles 114 located in trim area 104 also can spray rinsing liquid onthe first and second cutting implements 110, 112 to rinse off exdudatesbuild up on the first and second cutting implements 110, 112 to minimizecross contamination of trimmed leafy vegetables with exudates. Therinsing liquid can be any food grade sanitizing liquid, such aschlorinated water with 100 parts per million (ppm) chlorine. It shouldbe recognized, however, that the concentration of the chlorinated watercan vary, and that various types of rinsing liquids can be used.

After a leafy vegetable has been trimmed at trim area 104, the trimmedleafy vegetable is transported through post-trim area 106, where anotherset of one or more nozzles 116 continues to spray rinse the cut sites onthe leafy vegetable. For example, FIG. 3 depicts trimmed heads ofRomaine lettuce moving through post-trim area 106, while rinsing liquidis applied to cut sites using set of one or more nozzles 116.

With reference to FIG. 1, in the present exemplary embodiment, first andsecond cutting implements 110, 112 simultaneously trim portions of thecore and leafy ends. Additionally, as the first and second cuttingimplements 110, 112 trim portions of the core and leafy ends, set of oneor more nozzles 114 simultaneously sprays rinsing liquid on the cutsites. It should be recognized, however, that first and second cuttingimplements 110, 112 can trim portions of the core and leafy ends atdifferent times.

In FIGS. 1, 4-6, 8, and 9, first and second cutting implements 110, 112are depicted as being circular saws. As depicted in FIG. 6, in thepresent exemplary embodiment, first cutting implement 110 can have teeththat are better suited to trim the core end, while second cuttingimplement 112 can have teeth that are better suited to trim the leafyend. It should be recognized, however, that first and second cuttingimplements 110, 112 can have various shapes, such as a flat knife, andcutting configurations, and can be various types of cutting implements,such as water knives.

Additionally, in FIGS. 1, 4-6, 8, and 9, first and second cuttingimplements 110, 112 are depicted as being circular saws verticallyoriented. It should be recognized, however, that first and secondcutting implements 110, 112 can be oriented at different angles or atoffset angles.

In FIGS. 1, 4-6, 8, and 9, first cutting implement 110 is depicted as asingle circular saw to trim the core end, and second cutting implement112 is depicted as a single circular saw to trim the leafy end. Itshould be recognized, however, that first cutting implement 110 can becomprised of any number of saws, knives, and the like, and secondcutting implement 112 can also be comprised of any number of saws,knives, and the like.

For example, with reference to FIG. 10, first cutting implement 110 canbe a set of circular saws (i.e., circular saws 1002, 1004), and secondcutting implement 112 can also be a set of circular saws (i.e., circularsaws 1006, 1008). As depicted in FIG. 10, the sets of circular saws canrotate in opposite directions. In particular, circular saws 1002 and1006 are depicted as rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, andcircular saws 1004 and 1008 are depicted as rotating in a clockwisedirection. It should be recognized, however, that the direction ofrotation of the sets of circular saws can be reversed and adjusted forany rotational configurations within the set of saws and for the sets ofsaws. Additionally, the sets of circular saws can rotate in the samedirection. The sets of circular saws can be oriented vertically, atdifferent angles, or at offset angles. The gap between saws 1002 and1006 and the gap between saws 1004 and 1008 can be adjusted.

With reference to FIG. 4, in the present exemplary embodiment, firstconveyor 108 extends from load area 102, through trim area 104, topost-trim area 106. As depicted in FIG. 5, first conveyor 108 extendsbetween first and second cutting implements 110, 112. With referenceagain to FIG. 4, in the present exemplary embodiment, first conveyor 108is an endless belt that runs from load area 102 to post-trim area 106,and then returns to load area 102 in a continuous loop.

It should be recognized that any number of conveyors can be used totransport the leafy vegetable through spray rinse system 100. Forinstance, first conveyor 108 can be comprised of two or more successiveconveyor belts. For example, one conveyor belt can extend from load area102 to trim area 104, and another conveyor belt can extend from trimarea 104 to post-trim area 106. The two belts can overlap vertically sothat the trimmed leafy vegetable is transferred between the two conveyorbelts by falling from the previous conveyor belt onto the subsequentconveyor belt.

In the present exemplary embodiment, second conveyor 122 extends fromload area 102 to trim area 104. With reference to FIG. 5, secondconveyor 122 runs adjacent and parallel to first conveyor 108. Withreference to FIG. 6, second conveyor 122 extends into trim area 104. Asdepicted in FIG. 7, second conveyor 122 holds, supports, and guides theportion of the core end of the leafy vegetable to be trimmed. Secondconveyor 122 also prevents the leafy vegetable from being twisted whilebeing transported to trim area 104 and trimmed at trim area 104.

With reference to FIG. 5, in the present exemplary embodiment, first andsecond conveyors 108, 122 are formed from sections of plastic plates 502with hinged or flexible joints 504, similar to tank treads. It should berecognized, however, that first and second conveyors 108, 122 can beformed from various materials, such as rubber, metal, and the like, thatare either food safe or treated to be food safe.

With reference again to FIG. 4, in the present exemplary embodiment,first conveyor 108 includes a first set of cleats 406, and secondconveyor 122 includes a second set of cleats 408. As depicted in FIG. 7,a leafy vegetable is held between two of the first set of cleats 406 onfirst conveyor 108 and two of the second set of cleats 408 on secondconveyor 122. In particular, a leafy vegetable to be processed is loadedonto first and second conveyors 108, 122 with the portion of the coreend to be trimmed held between two of the second set of cleats 408 onsecond conveyor 122.

With reference to FIG. 6, as portions of the core and leafy ends arebeing trimmed by first and second cutting implements 110, 112, one ofthe first set of cleats 406 prevents the leafy vegetable from sliding onfirst conveyor 108. Similarly, as a portion of the core end is beingtrimmed by first cutting implement 110, one of the second set of cleats408 prevents the portion of the core end being trimmed from sliding onsecond conveyor 122.

After the portion of the core end has been trimmed, the trimmed portionof the core end falls off the end of second conveyor 122. As describedabove, after the portions of the core and leafy ends have been trimmed,the remaining portion of the leafy vegetable is transported throughpost-trim area 106 (FIG. 1) on first conveyor 108.

With reference again to FIG. 4, in the present exemplary embodiment,first and second sets of cleats 406, 408 are formed from a flexibleplastic material attached to first and second conveyors 108, 122. Itshould be recognized, however, that first and second sets of cleats 406,408 can be rigid, and can be formed from various materials.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, in the present exemplary embodiment,when a leafy vegetable is transported to trim area 104, roller 120disposed above first conveyor 108 and between first and second cuttingimplements 110, 112, holds the leafy vegetable against first conveyor108 as first and second cutting implements 110, 112 trim portions of thecore end and leafy end, respectively. As depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5,roller 120 can be sized to fit between two adjacent cleats 408 on firstconveyor 108. Roller 120 can be formed from flexible materials suitablefor food contact, such as rubber. It should be recognized that anysimilar mechanism, such as a flat belt, can be used to hold the leafyvegetable against first conveyor 108 in trim area 104.

With reference to FIG. 4, in one exemplary embodiment, top and tailsystem 100 can be configured to be used in a field to process leafyvegetables as they are harvested in the field. In particular, componentsof top and tail system 100 (e.g., first conveyor 108, second conveyor122, first cutting implement 110, second cutting implement 112, set ofone or more nozzles 114, roller 120) are attached to a frame 410. Withreference to FIG. 8, frame 410 (FIG. 4) is configured to be pulled by atractor 802. Power needed to operate the components of top and tailsystem 100 can be provided from tractor 802 or a separate power supplyattached to frame 410 (FIG. 4).

In the present exemplary embodiment, as top and tail system 100 ispulled through the field by tractor 802, whole leafy vegetable heads areharvested and loaded onto first conveyor 108 in load area 102. Afterportions of the core and leafy ends of the leafy vegetables are trimmedin trim area 104, the trimmed leafy vegetables can be transported frompost-trim area 106 into bins on a flat bed 804. The trimmed leafyvegetables can then be transported to a processing plant for furtherprocessing. For example, as depicted in FIG. 8, the trimmed leafyvegetables can be cooled, further cut, washed and dried, then packagedfor market.

With reference to FIG. 9, in another exemplary embodiment, top and tailsystem 100 can be configured to be used in a processing plant to processfield harvested leafy vegetables. In particular, components of top andtail system 100 (e.g., first conveyor 108, second conveyor 122, firstcutting implement 110, second cutting implement 112, set of one or morenozzles 114, roller 120) are integrated into a processing line in aprocessing plant. Power needed to operate the components of top and tailsystem 100 can be provided by electrical or hydraulic power in theprocessing plant or similar sources.

In the present exemplary embodiment, whole leafy vegetable heads withcore are harvested and transported to the processing plant forprocessing. The leafy vegetables can be cooled and staged for processingin the processing plant. When the leafy vegetables are ready to beprocessed, the leafy vegetables are loaded onto first conveyor 108 inload area 102. After portions of the core ends and leafy ends of theleafy vegetables are trimmed in trim area 104, and spray rinsed with arinsing liquid, the trimmed leafy vegetables can be further processed inthe processing plant. For example, the trimmed leafy vegetables can befurther cut in cutting area 902, washed and dried in wash area 904, dryarea 906, then packaged for market in packaging area 908.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments have been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed,and it should be understood that many modifications and variations arepossible in light of the above teaching.

1-25. (canceled)
 26. A mechanical method of processing a leafy vegetableafter being harvested, the leafy vegetable having a core end and a leafyend, the method comprising: transporting the leafy vegetable to a trimarea using a conveyor; trimming a portion of the core end using a firstcutting implement; and trimming a portion of the leafy end using asecond cutting implement, wherein the first and second cuttingimplements are spaced a set distance apart, and wherein the set distancedefines an amount of the leafy vegetable remaining after the portions ofthe core and leafy ends are trimmed; and while the portions of the coreand leafy ends of the leafy vegetable are being trimmed, spraying arinsing liquid on cut sites on the portions of the core and leafy endsof the leafy vegetable being trimmed to rinse off natural juices exudingfrom the cut sites.
 27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:spraying the rinsing liquid on the first and second cutting implementsas the portions of the core and leafy ends are trimmed by the first andsecond cutting implements.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein theportions of the core and leafy ends are simultaneously trimmed using thefirst and second cutting implements.
 29. The method of claim 26, whereinthe rinsing liquid is simultaneously sprayed on cut sites on theportions of the core and leafy ends as the portions of the core andleafy ends are being trimmed by the first and second cutting implements.30. The method of claim 26, further comprising: after the portions ofthe core and leafy ends of the leafy vegetable have been trimmed,transporting the leafy vegetable to a post-trim area; and sprayingrinsing liquid on the cut sites in the post-trim area.
 31. The method ofclaim 26, wherein the leafy vegetable is transported between cleatsdisposed on the conveyor.
 32. The method of claim 26, wherein theconveyor and the first and second cutting implements are attached to aframe, and further comprising: moving the frame through a field whereleafy vegetables are harvested; and after harvesting a leafy vegetablefrom the field, loading the leafy vegetable onto the conveyor.
 33. Themethod of claim 26, wherein the conveyor and the first and secondcutting implements are integrated into a processing line, and furthercomprising: after trimming the portions of the core and leafy ends ofthe leafy vegetable, cutting the remaining portions of the leafyvegetable in a cut area of the processing line; washing and drying thecut portions of the leafy vegetable in a wash and dry area of theprocessing line; and packaged for market the washed and dried portionsof the leafy vegetable in a packaging area of the processing line.